Extraordinary Authority

Murray Waas got his hands on some dynamite with the story of the secret memo from Gonzales granting Kyle Sampson and Monica Goodling "extraordinary authority over the hiring and firing of most non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department." Specifically, Sampson and Goodling were given

"the authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to take final action in matters pertaining to the appointment, employment, pay, separation, and general administration" of virtually all non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department, including all of the department's political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation....

The existence of the order suggests that a broad effort was under way by the White House to place politically and ideologically loyal appointees throughout the Justice Department, not just at the U.S.-attorney level. Department records show that the personnel authority was delegated to the two aides at about the same time they were working with the White House in planning the firings of a dozen U.S. attorneys, eight of whom were, in fact, later dismissed.

The Waas article lays out a pretty damning indictment of the gross politicization efforts by the White House. But what's really got Gonzales and the department in trouble is that this document was found by Waas, and was not made available to Congressional investigators.

Senator Leahy is not amused.

Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.,
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
On Reports of Confidential Memo Granting Sweeping Hiring/Firing Authority To DOJ Political Officials
April 30, 2007

"It is disturbing to learn that the Attorney General was granting extraordinary and sweeping authority to the same political operatives who were plotting with the White House to dilute our system of checks and balances in the confirmation of U.S. Attorneys.

"This development is highly troubling in what it seems to reveal about White House politicization of key appointees in the Department of Justice. The mass firing of U.S. attorneys appeared to be part of a systematic scheme to inject political influence into the hiring and firing decisions of key justice employees. This secret order would seem to be evidence of an effort to hardwire control over law enforcement by White House political operatives.

"This memorandum should have been turned over to Senate and House committees as part of requests made in ongoing investigations. I expect the Department of Justice to immediately provide Congress with full information about this troubling decision as well as any other related documents they have failed to turn over to date."

An entire department of White House lackeys, top to bottom. That appears to have been the goal. And who better to put it all into place that Number One Lackey, Alberto Gonzales. The man was never fit to serve as the nation's attorney general. He should be all rights be ridden out of town on a rail. But the thing is, his ongoing presence in the Bush administration is doing so much damage, fomenting so much Congressional outrage, and creating such a wedge for us to use between Bush and the GOP Congress, it's more fun, and probably productive for Dems, to have him stay.